$900K pot bust made in Oberlin

OBERLIN — A Pennsylvania man pulled over for speeding on the Ohio Turnpike in Oberlin on Tuesday was caught with 20 pounds of marijuana worth nearly $1 million in his car, Ohio Highway Patrol troopers said in a press release. Hani Alkanani, 36, of Erie, Pa., was charged with felony possession of marijuana and is being held in the Lorain County Jail. At about 1:45 p.m. Tuesday, a trooper stopped Alkanani’s 1997 Buick Century as it was speeding on the Turnpike in the Oberlin area, troopers said. A drug-sniffing K-9 alerted troopers to the vehicle, which prompted the search that turned up 20 pounds of BC Bud marijuana, which typically is cultivated in British Columbia, troopers said. The marijuana in Alkanani’s car was packaged in at least 20 sealed, clear-plastic bags that were stored in a large black garbage bag inside the car. The type of marijuana found in Alkanani’s car is “one of the most potent strains of cannabis,” with THC content of 30 percent, troopers said. Most marijuana has just 4 percent THC content. THC — tetrahydrocannabinol — is the main active ingredient in marijuana, which acts on the brain to produce its effects. The actual value of the marijuana seized from Alkanani’s car was $900,000, boosting to $30.1 million the amount of drugs the Highway Patrol has seized so far this year. Last year, troopers seized 11,000 pounds of illegal drugs worth upward of $55 million. Contact Shawn Foucher at 329-7197 or sfoucher@chroniclet.com.